Department of Sociology

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789/3478

The present Department of Sociology was established as a combined Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology by the University of North Bengal in 1976. Professor Niren Ch. Choudhury, eminent anthropologist, was the first Professor and Head of the Department who provided the leadership in the formative years of the Department.Professor R.K.Bhadra and Dr.Namita Choudhury were associated with him since inception of this department and helped in the process of its development. The bifurcation between sociology and anthropology took place in 2001 and thus the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology was renamed Department of Sociology and a separate Department of Anthropology was established under the Science Faculty. From its beginning the Department of Sociology has been training students for three courses: M.A., M. Phil. and Ph.D. The Department has produced more than 30 Ph.Ds and more than one thousand Masters. Besides the two main programmes the Department invites visiting faculty, from the reputed national and international universities and the faculty of this department visit the universities abroad on visiting faculty programme and for attending seminars/conferences. The teachers of the Department encourage students to take part in academic discussions outside the class-room interaction and encourage them to present papers in seminars/conferences. In recognition of the good work done by the Department the University Grants’ Commission (UGC) has granted the Special Assistance Programme (DRS – 1) in 2007 which has facilitated undertaking a good number of research projects on issues relating to gender question and the problem of ethnicity in the North Bengal region. The Department has been organizing a national level seminar every year on the gender and ethnicity related issues, which constitute the focal theme of the SAP. As a part of the programme the Department publishes Occasional Papers and edited volumes based on the research articles that are produced under different SAP related programs.

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    Development of a dalit self: vasant moon and the aura of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
    (University of North Bengal, 31-03-2020) Biswas, Saswati
    The development of self and a sociological approach to the study of self-identity are informed by mutual relationship between self and the society. The former impacts the society through individual actions reflected in the working of groups, organizations and institutions. Society on the other hand influences the individual through shared meanings and values which enables one to participate in social action and reflect upon oneself as the other. In the case of India where the Hindu society considers a group of people as avarnas also referred to as dalits or untouchables there is a great deal of complexity and layering in the interaction between self and society. The selves of the dalits evolve in constant interaction with the wider society through the complexities which till today are characterized by a great degree of exploitation and humiliation exercised by the upper castes. In this paper an attempt has been made to study the life of Vasant Moon which shows how a dalit person overcame the obstacles of life and evolved as a worthy member of his community under the influence of B.R Ambedkar who inspired and moulded the lives of innumerable dalits of a whole generation.
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    Health and Morbidity in North Bengal: A Field Report from Mahipal Village in Phansidewa Block
    (University of North Bengal, 2016-03) Biswas, Saswati
    The Alma Ata declaration of which India was a signatory promised Health for all by 2000 AD, in the year 2016 we find the government still grappling with problems of infant and maternal mortality. Tuberculosis is on the rise and new health issues like those related to environment, increasing use of pesticides and occupational hazards all contribute to the vulnerable health status of our people, leading to increasing levels of morbidity. At the same time rural people lack access to quality health care and those belonging to the poorer sections are prone to different types of morbidity due to their poor health. The present study tries to understand health and morbidity by taking up a village in the Phansidewa block of Siliguri subdivision in North Bengal.
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    Social Medicine: Its Implications for Women’s Health in India
    (University of North Bengal, 2014-03) Biswas, Saswati
    In this paper an attempt has been made to study the implications of social medicine for women’s health in India. The paper focuses on how social conditions play an important role in determining health conditions of women in India. It also highlights the consequences of a market oriented health care system for women’s health in general and its possible implications for women’s health in India.